Hot salsa stopped migraine fast

Q. I was not a fan of chili peppers before we moved to the state of New Mexico. A short time after we moved here, I developed a migraine so bad that I could not lift my head off the pillow. I was very sick!

Since I wasn’t able to cook, my husband had the nerve to insist on taking me out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.

The restaurant served chips and salsa that contained chili peppers as an appetizer that is part of each meal. I barely dipped the edge of each tortilla chip in the salsa, but I started to feel less ill before my meal arrived. I was surprised that I was able to eat anything, but I did, and felt much better after eating. The migraine was gone.

Since that time, I have used salsa with chili peppers to combat migraines. I now eat salsa about once a week and no longer get migraines.

It may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

A. Thanks for sharing your story. We have heard from other readers who have found that eating hot, spicy soup at the first hint of a migraine can prevent the pain.

One person preferred gumbo, while another chose Chinese hot-and-sour soup.

Those who don’t like hot peppers or don’t find that they help may be interested in some of the other natural remedies that can alleviate headaches, including magnesium, butterbur, feverfew, riboflavin and ginger.

Q. My husband has had acid reflux along with a bad cough for quite some time.

He tried Prilosec, Zantac, Tums and other drugs, but nothing worked.

It was so bad that he would wake up choking from it in the middle of the night.

Recently, he awoke very ill and in so much pain from the reflux that I thought I would have to take him to the emergency room.

I started surfing the Internet for a natural remedy for acid reflux and came across instructions on your website for mixing 1 tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of honey.

I dissolved it in hot water and topped it off with cool water.

His excruciating pain stopped almost immediately after drinking it, and he was able to fall back to sleep.

He has been drinking it every night shortly before retiring to bed for about a week now, and his symptoms have just about disappeared.

He no longer has a choking cough, either.

It’s like a miracle, and we can’t thank you enough.

A. Using vinegar as a remedy for acid reflux seems counterintuitive, but many readers have told us that it can work surprisingly well. We wish we knew why.

We have heard that too little stomach acid can cause reflux, but we have seen no research backing this up.

Nor are there studies on apple-cider vinegar for heartburn symptoms.

All the same, your husband’s approach seems benign.

He should hold off on brushing his teeth for at least half an hour after taking his vinegar-and-honey mixture.

Vinegar can soften the dentine of the teeth so that toothbrush bristles might be too abrasive.

If the cough persists, he should see his physician.

2015 King Features Syndicate, Inc.